There are many environments for faucets where simplicity in operation is required due to factors such as available time and space for the user. An example of such an environment is in a restaurant kitchen, particularly a Chinese restaurant kitchen where cooks are often required to use water often during cooking procedures and it is required that the faucet be rapidly turned on and off many times. It is customary for the cook to prepare his food in a receptacle held within a sink and to turn the faucet on and off many times in rapid succession over a long period of time. Accordingly, the faucet should be designed to accomplish the on and off functions rapidly and efficiently without leakage over a long period of time.
It is extremely desirable to provide a faucet which can be operated by merely rotating the spigot angularly a predetermined minimum distance to shift between the on and off positions. In this manner, there is no need for faucet handles and all of the valve structure is incorporated as part of the faucet assembly. Naturally with the valve incorporated as part of the spigot, it is important that effective seals be employed so that the relatively rotating parts are not subject to leakage. It should also be kept in mind that where repeated use is desired such as in a Chinese kitchen, the off-on function should be accomplished with a minimum amount of movement to accomplish the valving feature as quickly and efficiently as possible.